Kim Claussen participated in the quilting retreat at Sun Mountain Lodge last weekend.
By Ashley Lodato
Just over a year ago, valley resident and quilter Meghan Rudholm started planning a quilting retreat and show at Sun Mountain Lodge. Meghan has worked for Sun Mountain since 2000, and over the years has helped host several quilting groups who hold retreats at the lodge.
Last year she realized that the quilting talent in the valley is pretty incredible and she thought “Wouldn’t it be cool to have an event at Sun Mountain,” for regional quilters to get to know each other and “show and tell” some of their work. Members of the North Central Washington Quilt Guild in Wenatchee agreed, as did many of the local Methow Valley quilters, and a date was set for fall 2016.
Shortly after Meghan began planning for the quilting show and retreat, the Twisp River Fire took Meghan’s home, along with all of her quilts. But she persevered with the show, which went off without a hitch over this past weekend at Sun Mountain.
Meghan’s goal for the show was to receive 50 quilts to show, but she underestimated the popularity of her idea and ended up with 97 quilts, which were displayed in the Pasayten Room for three days.
“We had quilts from the Okanogan area, Wenatchee, Seattle, Oregon and Idaho,” Meghan says. Local submissions came from Melody and Tucker Barksdale, Belva Hoffman, Barbara Newman, Marge Prewitt, Kathy Podmeyer, Jayne Schrock, Jane Weagant, Lynette Westendorf and 10-year-old Ila Newman. Half of the Pasayten Room was taken up by the quilt display, while the other half was occupied by quilters stitching away on their works in progress.
“It was really fun to bring the Wenatchee and Methow groups together to get to know each other and share work,” says Meghan.
Of one quilt in particular Meghan says, “I will not be surprised to see this quilt in a museum one day.” Marge Prewitt’s hand-sewn “diary quilt” consists of hundreds of little squares, each with a diary of one day on it. Marge, who was ranching in Riverside at the time, began the quilt in January 2001, not yet knowing what Sept. 11 of that year would bring. The quilt ended up documenting the monumental 9/11 event in three squares, along with all the other events both consequential and insignificant in Marge’s life that year.
“It captures so many precious and poignant moments,” Meghan says. “It was a gift for her to let us show that quilt.”
Another remarkable quilt showed a map of the United States, with fabric featuring each state’s flower, state song and other distinguishing details. Geraldine Warner from Wenatchee won the People’s Choice award for her quilt “Lily Pond.”
The quilters are hoping to make the quilt show and retreat a biennial event, so you have just under two years to get your needle out and create a piece for the next show.
